"Jared will not be coming back anymore,” Sienna said as she smirked, staring at me. “He insists you should sign the divorce agreement tonight. Kaylee Morgan, don't think impossible things will transpire. Keep on dreaming.”
As I stood on the deck of the cruise ship, the cold air blew, giving me shivers.
The rain continued pouring around while I looked messy in front of Sienna Lawson.
Well, I remembered it. Today marked the sixth anniversary of my marriage to Jared Hayes, my ex-husband. This damn cruise ship we were with was where we first met.
Unexpectedly, even if I wrote my goodbye letter in blood, begging for one last meeting, Jared remained adamant about divorcing me. Worse, he even sent his dear lover, Sienna, over here with the divorce papers.
He was so cruel. I couldn't withstand him anymore.
She broke the silence between us out of the blue, saying, “One more thing. I am pregnant with Jared's child. There's no more hope for you and him.”
Sienna was too confident when she said that. She even placed her hand on her womb as if she were telling me that she finally had Jared’s body and heart.
That was ironic. I had dreamed of having a child in our six years of marriage with Jared, but it was expected, as he never dared to touch me.
Yet, out of the blue, he and Sienna were expecting a child.
Only if Sienna had dared to admit it to me earlier, then I would have been stunned and could have attacked her until she had a miscarriage.
However, I maintained a calm demeanor, gaining more confidence as I faced Sienna, ready to retort whatever words she would throw at me. But this time, I was too confident to give up everything, even him.
"Alright, I'll sign."
Not hesitating any longer, my trembling, bloodstained hand picked up the pen and signed my name on the divorce agreement.
Sienna must not have expected me to give him up without hesitation. She was stunned for a moment, then later, she suddenly was on cloud nine.
She held the divorce papers in my hand as if they were precious treasures. As soon as I moved my eyes to her ring finger, I saw her diamond ring on there, which stunned me for a moment.
A diamond ring, something I had never received during our entire six years of marriage.
He never gave me anything despite my love for him, a love so profound I would risk everything, even my family's downfall, for his sake. He didn't even give me a chance to attend the last meeting.
"Does Jared know about my illness?" I asked, with my lips turned pale for a moment.
Even after knowing the harsh reality, I still couldn't accept it. I had loved him my whole life, and I still didn't know how to accept him that simply.
"Yes, he said your mere existence is a burden and it would be better if you die sooner,” Sienna responded without hesitation. Her harsh tone was similar to Jared's usual cold demeanor.
I suddenly felt cold, aware that it was what Jared had told me. I didn't doubt it. I knew him well.
I had not met Jared for two whole months.
Since the day he proposed divorce, he moved out of our residence, blocked all my contacts, and even everyone around him began avoiding me as if I were a plague. No one was willing to tell me where he was.
My parents have passed away, and everything our family-owned has been transferred to others, not me, who was supposed to be the heir to their properties. I hold no value to him anymore.
As soon as he knew that I had advanced stomach cancer, and when he was aware I had not much time left to spend with him, he couldn't wait to divorce me. I knew he was doing this to be with his own lover all along.
He was heartless. I knew he was. However, deep down, it seemed I couldn't accept this anymore. After all, he was the only man I loved all my life—no one else.
I longed so much for the chance to see him one last time, to put a full stop to this love story that spanned a whole decade.
"Can you take me to see him one last time?" I asked as soon as I looked at Sienna, almost pleading desperately.
"What? Come on, there's no need for that. What's the point of seeing him when you're in this terrible state?" Sienna said, looking down at me coldly with one of her eyebrows raised.
“Fine. Then maybe I could… I could at least make a phone call to him ?" I added, still had a glimmer of hope within me.
I retreated a step backward. Even a single phone call, even just hearing his voice one last time, was good enough for me.
"Kaylee, if I were you, I would never degrade myself by loving a man with such lack of dignity. Have you heard about it?” Sienna added, “The more you grovel, the more you lose yourself, the more you cannot extricate yourself, the more men will loathe and look down on you. Hope you have a better reincarnation in your next life, and stop being a pathetic creep, okay?"
Sienna grasped my shirt collar, the scorn in her gaze piercing me like a knife, deeply into my heart.
She's living her dream now, but I'm still the same, comfortable with fancy clothes and good food since I was little.
I didn't know how I fell so low, being ridiculed and accused by Sienna, who had nothing to be proud of.
A lot of ideas came to my mind. However, I returned to my senses when the two men in black suits stepped forward. Oblivious to what they were doing to me, they immediately sealed my mouth with a strip of black tape and then bound my hands.
"Kaylee, disappear from Jared and my world as soon as possible. I've put up with you for a long time..."
I widened my eyes in horror. Before I could react, they viciously threw me into the sea.
Sienna's words echoed in my ears as the salty seawater choked my throat. My bound hands made me helpless to struggle, at the mercy of the waves swirling deeper into the vast sea.
Just as my consciousness dissipated, a strong force seemed to tug at my right arm.
When my head surfaced from the water, I vaguely felt someone dragging me forward with all might.
The waves were just too big, making everything I tried useless.
Soon after, I felt myself getting weaker. Jared's supposed lover suddenly ended my simple and humble life.
….
The cold water drenched my face for an instant, slowly waking me up. I fought to open my eyes.
Shivering from the cold, I stupidly lifted my head and saw Jared, alive and real, standing right in front of me.
"Kaylee you're using drugs against me! What a shame! I would never touch you, and get you pregnant!” Jared yelled out of furiousness.
Seeing that I was awake, Jared switched off the showerhead, looking at me with utter contempt as if he were looking at a nasty prostitute.
It was crystal clear that Sienna pushed me into the sea. How the hell was he now blaming me?
I was damn clueless why I woke up inside the bathroom of the residence I shared with Jared.
I didn't know what was happening to me at all.
As I looked around, I found the bathroom in a mess. Shower gel and toothbrushes were scattered all over the floor.
Jared was in a dark suit, soaking wet with his hair and chest drenched. His eyes showed his rage toward me. The process seemed extremely intense.
That scene was somewhat familiar and made me remember that exact scene from the past.
Suddenly, my eyes widened, and I remembered that it was exactly the scene of what happened four years ago, on the second anniversary of my marriage to Jared.
On that day, I sent our domestic helper, Martha, to fetch remedies for folk pregnancies. Martha had assured me that the remedy would guarantee a pregnancy on the first try. I could hardly wait to add it to the soup, fantasizing that Jared and I would share a passionate night together under the medicine's effects.
Back then, I was genuinely desperate; two years into our marriage, I was still not pregnant.
My in-laws always told me to be pregnant too soon.
Almost all of the elites around California were abuzz with rumors about my inability to bear an heir for the Hayes Family.
More and more women were coming to Jared with hidden intentions, leaving me feeling desperate and out of options, which led me to take extreme measures.
It was still a big question mark how the hell Jared was able to know my plan.
Enraged, he forced the soup down my throat in front of all the domestic staff, afterward dragging me into the bedroom.
The effect of the remedy was overpowering. My mind was in a whirl; my nightgown was torn to pieces, and I couldn't help but pounce on Jared repeatedly.
Finally, he dragged me into the bathroom and mercilessly soaked me with the showerhead. At this moment, it echoed the scenario I was experiencing.
That's when I realized one thing…. I was reborn, back to the time of my second wedding anniversary with Jared.
